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AN EXHORTATION TO TEA PLANTERS.
The following despatch, of which we (N. Daily News) give a translation, has been received by His Honour Ts'ai Taotai from H.E. Viceroy Liu. of the Liangkiang provinces
TO THE TAOTAI OF THE SOO-SUNG T'AI INTENDANCY, AT SHANGHAI,
I have to inform you that I am in receipt of a despatch dated the 12th day of the 9th moon (7th October) from Their Excellencies the Ministers of the Tsungli Yamên, embodying a despatch of the 24th day of the 8th moon (20th September) from HE. Knobel, Minister- Resident of the Netherlands at Peking, to the Baid Yamên to the effect that H.E. had received a communication from the Tea Importers of Amsterdam, the contents of which ran яз follows:-
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We regret to find that the samples of tea prepared by the new methods are not very good, but that the flavour of those made by the old methods is still vastly superior to the tea made in other countries. If therefore China tea be prepared after the new methods the leaf will be similar to that prepared elsewhere, while it will lose entirely the original delicacy of flavour peculiar to its place of production. Although the tea-planters of Java., Assam, and Ceylon ex-
.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
whether their teas
are
being prepared by the old methods or by the new, they should always keep in mind the importance of being careful in their work and aim at producing high quality tons in order to command the market. If due care be exercised in the pre- paration of the leaf there need be no fear of Chinese tea losing its ground in the foreign markets. The Ministers of the Tsuugli Yamén would also request Your Excellency to keep a watch over this important question, and com- municate in the future with the Yamên as to what Your Excellency has done in the matter, and also concerning the state of the tea districts."
With reference to the above despatch of the Tsungli Yamên it is very evident that the loss of the tea trade to China has been due to various causes, one of which is that foreign- made teas have been flooding the foreign markets to the exclusion of the Chinese teas.
[December 2, 1897.
THE BELGIAN RAILWAY LUÀN.
We learn from reliable Chinese sources that negociations have been commenced afresh with the Belgian Syndicate for the £4,000,000 Rail- way Loan. Li Hung-chang and Sheng Taotai are conducting the negociations for the Chinese. We believe the chief alteration in the former
conditions is that the money is to be advanced, not in one or two lumps, but in small instalments as required. Sheng Tuotai has assented to this proposition, and it is believed that Li Hung-
It is also stipu chang will also approve of it. lated by the Belgians that an Imperial Decree is to be issued approving the loan, and if the other conditions are settled satisfactorily it is anti- cipated there will be no serious difficulty about the Imperial Edict.—China Gazette.
THE JAPANESE CONCESSION. AT
TIENTSIN.
A telegram dated at Tientsin 8 a.m., the 13th instant, appears in the Jiji Shimpo. It says that the Japanese Chargé d'Affaires had just set out on his return journey to Peking, having brought to a satisfactory conclusion his negotia- tions with the Viceroy for an appropriation of The Viceroy land to form a Japanese settlement, as stipulated by the Shimonoseki Treaty. seems to have acceded to the Chargé's proposals.
pend much skill and labour on their products it sharp methods rejected the teas they had agreed According to the telegram, the area of the alloted
But
then there
are
those
must be confessed that they do not come up to the teas of China. As matters now stand people in Europe auxions to purchase high quality Chinese teas are unable to do so, and they are compelled to think that tea merchants in China are ignorant of the fact that the people of Europe and other places prefer to buy good Chinese teas to others. The tea made by the new methods in China is really a poor edition of the Indian tea, and therefore vastly inferior to that prepared by the old methods; whilst the prices demanded in England and the Netherlands for high qua- lity [China] tea are three times greater than those asked for teas produced by the new methods. Moreover, tea prepared by the new methods is exported to foreign markets whilst British In- dia teas are also exported to the same places for sale, and the two teas are compelled to compete for buyers. [amongst tea consumers] who prefer to drink Chinese tea and yet others who like to drink British India tea. Upon a comparison of the respective merits of the two, however, it has been found that no tea is superior to the Chinese tea in flavour and delicacy of taste. Furthermore, the merchants of Russia, England, the Netherlands and other countries are of the same opinion and have requested the writers of this communica- tion to inform the tea exporters of all China of the actual state of affairs as above explained."
"I, the Minister-Resident, have had the question of the preparation of Chinese teas in my mind for a long time, and after many years' investigation have also arrived at a similar deci- sion as that of the tea importers of Amsterdam and elsewhere, and I have also reason to believe that Your Excellencies will be pleased to learn the opinions above presented.'
to
ל ,
Chinese tea merchants possessing only small capital have been guilty of unlawful methods in the preparation of their teas, and have natur- ally lost heavily therefrom. They have, in fact, been careless while picking the leaf, and have been guilty of introducing spurious leaves into their stocks, in consequence of which foreign buyers have caused trouble, returned the teas, cut down the prices, and by various and sundry to buy. Chinese merchants have, therefore, suffered most seriously from all this, and the loss of capital has been enormous. For these reasons the tea trade of this country has gra- dually fallen off and practically been almost des. troyed. I have on former occasions repeatedly exhorted the tea planters in my jurisdiction to introduce reforms into their methods of prepar- ation, etc., for, if carefully attended to, the flavour of China teas is without doubt superior to those made in foreign countries, and foreig ners, in consequence, are all anxious to drink Chi- nese tea. If, therefore, the tea planters of China will follow good advice and pick their leaves at the proper times, and roast them with care and skill so that the quality turned out is uniform and up to the highest mark, and, moreover, if strict honesty be exercised in their dealings with foreign buyers, there is no question of doubt but that they will be able to turn the tide of the tea trade to its original source. I am all the more confirmed in this belief after perusing the despatch of H.E. Knobel. the Minister-Resident of the Netherlands.
1
This
would, therefore, earnestly exhort all my people to seek reform in the trade and mutually aid each other in producing carefully prepared high quality teas. and thereby create anew a wide demand for the article, which will be followed by general prosperity to all. despatch is to be distributed to the various local authorities of the tea districts, who are com- manded to make the same known to all our people. Let no one be guilty of disobeying my exhortations.
LIU, HIGH COMMISSIONER OF TRADE OF THE NANYANG AND VICEROY OF THE LIANG- KIANG PROVINCES.
THE ROUND-THE-WORLD CYCLISTS.
In commenting on the above Their Excellen- cies of the Tsungli Yamen state that "Tea being one of the chief staples of export to foreign countries is a proof that the consumers there prefer the fine flavour of Chinese teas
Mr. John Foster Fraser, who is cycling [to others]. The only matter for regret is that Chinese tea planters have gradually fallen off round the world, arrived in Shasi from Ichang from the true, old methods, thereby producing on the evening of the 16th of November. teas of inferior qualities, in consequence of Messrs. Lowe and Luon, Mr. Fraser's com- which India and other teas have crept into the panions, took steamer direct from Ichang to markets and taken away the profits which used Hankow, so that Mr. Fraser is crossing this go to the Chinese tea planters and merchants. anti-foreign part of Hupeh alone. Travelling In this way not only has the Imperial exchequer from Ichang he had an exceedingly rough time. suffered but the losses to the tea trade have been During the three days he was crossing overland most heavy and disastrous. Now according to it rained in torrents and one day he carried his the despatch quoted above of H.E. Knobel, the bicycle through slush and puddy fields for Minister-Resident the Netherlands, it ten miles. The Chinese in some of the villages appears that even although Chinese teas have were aggressive and he was peltod with mud. fallen so
o completely from their former high Mr. Fraser is the guest of Mr. Neumann, the qualities there are yet ways and means whereby Commissioner of Customs, and during his the tea trade of China may be restored to its stay in Shasi is making several trips with the British Consal, Mr. Clennell. Mr. pristine flourishing state, and the Yamên there. fore considers it its duty to inform Your Fraser's intention is to go to Hankow, not by Excellency of the same and requests that following the banks of the Yangtze, but strik Your Excellency will ba good enoughing, in a bee-line, right across Hupeh. This is to send instructions to the local authorities of the various dependencies under you, to proclaim to all the inhabitants of the tea planting districts that henceforth, no matter
of
space is 400,000 tsubo, or some 330 acres, but it appears to us that there must be some mistake about this figure. We do not think that any such space is available at Tientsin-Japan Mail,
A NEW RAILWAY.
A Shaobsing, Chêkiang, despatch of the 18th instant states that on the 14th November, Fu, ihe prefect of that city, issued a proclamation informing the people of the prefecture that Governor Liao had given power to two syndi. cates to collect subscriptions for the building of a railway between Ningpo and the first named city. The proclamation further explains to the people that the proposed railway will be entirely built with native capital and that this is "not a case of encroachment and seizure of land, and will any foreign shareholders in the company giving special advantages to foreigners, nor be permitted. The only foreign element in the
Engineer to survey the country."
The pro- affair will be the employment of a Western clamation winds up with calling upon the people to treat the Surveyor of the proposed Railway properly.-N. C. Daily News.
THREATENED RIOT AT WUHU.
A despatch received from Wuhu by the Hu- pao reports that the success of the recently erected rice-cleaning mill at that port has aroused the bitter jealousy of the shops which employ manual labour. Interested parties have, there- fore, been stirring up the labourers lately, and now the streets of Wuhu are full of ominous rumours of a great rising that will take place against the new mill at the close of the present Chinese year, when all the labourers shall havre been paid off for the year. As a matter of fact the discontented shopmen make no secret of their intention to tear down the new rice-clean- ing mill in January next, and as there are no less than 30,000 labourers employed by the ma- nual rice-cleaning mills in Wuhu, the projected riot is likely to be on a pretty large scale, un- less the local authorities take measures before- hand to prevent a rising. It is also said that the cry of the mob will be against foreign mà- chinery in particular and foreigners generally. -N. C. Daily News.
MA SALLEH AGAIN.
A RAID ON AMBONG.-HOUSES BURNT.
We hear through a private source that the incorrigible outlaw Mat Salleh has made a des- cent from the interior on the village at Ambong; in Keppel Province, not far, about thirty miles along the coast to the north-east, from Gaya, the scene of his previous exploit. The houses of the village have been burnt, and Mat Salleh and his men appear to have fled back again im- a route that no European has yet traversed andmediately after this raid. It is believed that there are two English officers there who are if Mr. Fraser gets across safely he will have ac- complished a feat. He is in the best of health. | safe, but in the unpleasant predicament of being
-N. C. Daily News.
without food, clothes, and ammunition,
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